The 24-year-old, who has made history here by becoming the first double amputee to compete in an able-bodied World Championships, ran the opening leg for South Africa in the heats, but he was dropped from the team in the final as 400m hurdler LJ Van Zyl came in.

Pistorius will doubtless be delighted with his medal, although he might feel a little wistful about the fact that the South African's time in the final, 2min 59.87sec, was slower than the one they had posted in the heats.

LaShawn Merritt – back after a doping suspension – got his hands around a gold medal after anchoring his United States team home in 2:59.31.

Britain's quartet, anchored by Martyn Rooney, finished seventh.

The Curse of the Cover struck again as the latest jinxed athletes to be depicted on the front of the official programme were the US sprinters Carmelita Jeter, winner of the 100m final, and Allyson Felix, who was seeking a golden consolation after being beaten in the 400 metres.

Both were beaten in the 200m final by Jamaica's double Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, who thus secured her first world title over the longer sprint, sinking to the track in tears after finishing in 22.22sec.

Jeter took silver in 22.37, with Felix, who was making up ground too late, clocking 22.42.

"I want to thank God for giving me the strength," said Campbell-Brown.


"I already have a world silver, so FINALLY I got the gold."

The javelin and shot putt competitions provided huge drama before the two respective gold medallists emerged -  Maria Abakumova of Russia and David Storl of Germany.

Abakumova was engaged with an almighty struggle with the Czech Republic thrower who had beaten her to the Olympic title in 2008, Barbora Spotakova.

It was Spotakova, world champion in 2007 and silver medallist two years ago, who established a lead of more than eight metres in the opening round, and when she followed it up with 67.90 metres it seemed as if it was going to be her night.

But with the next throw, the Russian upped the ante with a season's best of 71.25m.

As Abakumova passed and fouled, Spotakova – whose coach Jan Zelezny, the triple Olympic champion, was gently prompting her the stands – continued to maintain a top level with efforts of 68.46 and 67.12.

Spotakova's fifth throw, however, sent her bolting and yelping back towards the rim of the stadium.

She had retaken her lead with a season's best of 71.58.

Abakumova, next up, got the crowd to clap their hands for her before releasing the most stupendous response – a Championship records of 71.99, to which Spotakova had no further response.


Striving to get into the medals, Germany's Olympic bronze medallist Christina Obergfoll badly misfired with her final attempt and collapsed briefly in disappointment at the line.

She turned the effort officially into a foul as she put her head in her hands.

Storl had taken the lead in the second round with 21.60m, but Canada's Dylan Armstrong bettered that mark by four centimetres two rounds later.

After successive fouls, the German was soon lumbering about in joy after thowing a personal best of 21.78m with his last attempt. It was all too much for Armstrong, who took silver after fouling with the last throw of the competition.

The women's 5,000 metres title went to Kenya's Vivian Cheruyiot, who finished in 14:55.36 ahead of Ethiopia's former world and Olympic champion Meseret Defar, who saw silver change to bronze in the final metres as she was passed by Cheruyiot's compatriot Sylvia Kibet.

The former champion put her head in her hands, then sank onto her knees on the track.

It completed the double for Cheruyiot, who had won the 10,000m on the opening day of competition last Saturday (August 27).

Dwight Phillips earned his fourth world title in the long jump with a second round effort of 8.45m ahead of Australia's Mitchell Watt, who took silver in 8.33.

Britain's Chris Tomlinson smiled through the pain as he competed with a bandaged left knee, but he finished last of the 11 competitors with a best effort of 7.87.

It was hard to watch.

Usain Bolt qualified for tomorrow's 200m final with all his old assurance in a race that followed a familiar pattern.

He had it won by 150 metres, and sauntered home in 20.31.

Beforehand, he had rapid-fired his fingers as they pointed down the track – but there was no pointing to either side of him on this occasion.

"I am feeling all right," Bolt said.

"I am focused on getting everything done."

Bolt's emergence, participation and departure were marked by high pitched screams and squeals of approval from the stand on the top rim of the stadium near the finish which was full of local schoolchildren.


Bolt gave them the benefit of a full-on Lightning Bolt.

You can imagine...

Earlier in the evening, Caster Semenya of South Africa reached the 800m final as the fastest qualifier after winning her semi-final in 1:58.07.

Britain's Jenny Meadows, a bronze medallist in Berlin two years ago, failed by one place to qualify as she finished third in her semi in 1:59.07.

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